Not my kind of party

I’m not sure you’ll ever hear me wish for December. But here I am. I need this Presidential election to be over with. Because I am SO. OVER. IT. Bury me in a pile of colorful leaves out back and I’ll emerge on November 9th. No, probably not even then. Because. Aftershock. Thanksgiving. You can come dig me out at Thanksgiving.

There’s a meme circulating that sums it up quite well. If you haven’t already seen it, it goes something like this: Trump and Hillary are like some bitter parents going through a nasty divorce, fighting over the American people like we’re their children. But really, most of us just want to go live with Grandma. Can I get an Amen?! Because yeah. It’s really not about who you like more, it’s about who you hate less. #truth

Previous blogs indicate I don’t like to get political. And I don’t. But I just cannot take any more of this campaign. For those who are voluntarily aboard this ludicrous train wreck, more power to you. I admire that allegiance. But for the rest of us who are forced into witnessing the chaos, we would rather cover our eyes and wait for it to pass. The agony of trying to make a decision between these two candidates is daunting. Because America surely has better suitors than this. But for whatever reason, our country put these two up to fight for leadership of our government. And all I can say is, God help us.

The insanity. The lewdness. The insults. The contempt. A political scene that hurts my head. And my heart. And because the public opinions are being vomited up left and right, I’m seeing some ugly sides of people that I never knew existed. I respect people’s opinions. I respect that people want to express them on social media. I respect that there are differences among my friends and my family. But I cannot get on board with the disdain and the hate. Because guess what? I’m okay if we don’t agree. I’m okay if you choose to vote for someone else. And I’m okay if you choose not to vote. Really. Because this is an individual right that we are privileged to have in this country. “Unfriending” people because they’re not voting for the same candidate as you is absurd. ABSURD. That completely negates the whole idea of democracy and free thinking. I saw some recent comments of a “Facebook friend” and I was appalled at her behavior towards another friend. It was disheartening to see it play out on a public platform. Her scornful announcement that she was unfriending individuals who were publicly declaring their vote {for the opposite candidate as her} did have me second guessing if she was the kind of person I wanted to be friends with. I would never unfriend anyone for having a difference of opinion. But I might consider unfriending someone for being a total jerk. Are politics a make or break for your relationships? Do they constitute a legitimate line in the sand that forces you to pick a side or pick a friend? Because that’s exclusivity at its worst. And contradiction at its best.